


From Here to the Far Lands

by EvesMagick



Series: Secret Crowds [2]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Activism, Adoption, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Refugees, child trafficking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-18
Updated: 2016-02-28
Packaged: 2018-05-21 10:13:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6047749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvesMagick/pseuds/EvesMagick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Akashi and Kuroko expand their small family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Daiki

They first met him in one of the refugee camps. 

Akashi helped distribute rations of food and bottles of water while Kuroko asked individuals for a statement or interview. Some shook their heads and hastily went to Akashi instead. Others acted as if they did not understand even though Kuroko spoke their language. But a few stopped and let Kuroko ask questions and jot down their answers word for word.

This was their third day in the camp, and they already had over sixty statements from a variety of ages, genders, and backgrounds.

Of course the war had ravaged their home country for years, and now nearly a third of their population resided in refugee camps like this one. Ninety percent of the refugees occupied two countries that were truthfully only a small step up from what the left behind.

Akashi’s supplies offered only a short term solution for their multitude of problems, but if Kuroko’s interviews went viral, perhaps the world could help these people in a far more permanent way.

“Are you a ghost?”

The words surprised Kuroko, especially since he was normally the one to shock others with his comments. He stared down at a little boy with dark skin and indigo hair.

“What?” he questioned in the careful enunciation of a second language.

“Are you a ghost?” the boy repeated clearly.

“No,” Kuroko replied. “I am a journalist.”

“Other people like you come here sometimes, and they talk about ghosts. They bring us food and water, too, and sometimes they ask questions like you. But then they tell us stories. Some about this one guy who could do tricks but some about ghosts.”

_Oh, he means angels,_ Kuroko realized. Perhaps there was a translation barrier there, or perhaps the boy liked his version of the tales better.

“Are you going to ask me questions now?” The boy’s eyes shined with a fire that Kuroko often found extinguished in the other people here.

Kuroko smiled softly and kneeled down so that their gazes met. “If you’d like. Do you have something you’d like to tell me?”

He narrowed his eyes, but after some deliberation, he nodded his head. “I heard what you were telling everyone else. You’re going to tell others about us.”

“Yes, I will share your story with the world. Hopefully others will bring help,” Kuroko agreed.

“Then I have some stuff I want to say, too.” The boy nodded again, this time with fearless determination.

Kuroko wrote in his notebook the story of how the boy lost his parents and little sister. He described how he joined another boy who had also lost his family, but then he got separated from him during an aerial bomb attack. He managed to join a stream of refugees into this country, but he still didn’t know if his friend survived or made it out or anything.

“I explore the camp and look for him, but I haven’t found anyone who’s seen him yet,” he finished. “If you tell that story to others, do you think I’ll find him?”

Kuroko hesitated, his expression neutral but frozen. He made a point of never giving false hope but also remaining optimistic, but as the boy practically begged him with shining eyes, he didn’t know how to respond. What were the odds that his friend even lived?

“I do not know,” Kuroko answered honestly. “But we will try our very best.”

…

Kuroko curled against Akashi’s chest, and the red-haired man pulled his lover closer to him. Though the heat leeched through their tent even in the depths of night, they still craved each other’s touch, especially in a country so unlike their own.

“Tomorrow is our last day here,” Kuroko murmured into the darkness.

“You have many interviews. You should be proud,” Akashi whispered in return.

Kuroko mulled over that notion as he shifted once again. The tent provided a semblance of privacy, but the thin sheet beneath them did not even hint at a proper bed. However, some of the refugees here did not even possess that, so neither Kuroko nor Akashi would ever complain. Besides they had experienced worse in their lifetime.

“There’s a little boy here. I don’t want to leave him,” Kuroko admitted.

“The one who asked you to interview him two days ago?”

Kuroko nodded, knowing Akashi would feel the movement against him. “He’s followed me around since then. He asked questions about where I’m from and why we came here. He’s curious and surprisingly full of life considering what he has been through.”

“You’ve grown attached,” Akashi reprimanded.

Perhaps ironically, one of the rules of their lifestyle was that they did not allow themselves to grow too close to those they helped. While they welled with sympathy, they could not afford to show too much subjectivity. 

“He deserves better,” Kuroko said.

“Everyone here deserves better, but we cannot take them all back with us,” Akashi replied.

“He’s a child. He deserves the opportunity to grow and play and learn to find his own passions in life.”

“Over half the people in this camp are children. Do we dare play god and decide which ones are worth taking with us and which ones we should leave behind?”

Kuroko bit his lip and turned his back to his lover. He rarely showed emotion, even during the worst of times, but somehow this little boy had wriggled his way into his heart. He knew that Akashi did not mean to sound callous. He even recognized that he was right, but that did not make the news any easier to hear.

Akashi sighed. “Once we leave here and you publish those interviews, you have exactly one month to gather enough attention and resources to better the lives of all the children in this camp. Then we can take yours home.”

Kuroko’s eyes widened almost comically in the dark, and he turned back until his lips hovered just over Akashi’s. “You are serious?”

“Would I joke?” Akashi deadpanned.

Rather than reply, Kuroko closed the distance and planted a kiss on his lips.

…

It only took nineteen days.

Kuroko contacted Save the Children, Lumos, and UNHCR, and after vigorous marketing and awareness campaigning, every child in the camp they visited received either sponsors or enough donations to significantly improve their standard of living. Some even managed to enter other countries.

Kuroko smiled the entire plane trip, and though Akashi tried to hide his, he did as well.

…

As Kuroko helped the little boy into his new clothing, Kuroko told him that he and Akashi would respect any choices he made in keeping his own culture and religion. However, they would also support him if he wanted to start clean. He could change his name if he wanted or he could keep his own.

The boy deliberated for a long time, but he eventually decided on a hybrid. He didn’t want to forget his own past and experiences, but he also wanted a fresh start in his new life.

He chose the name Daiki.


	2. Silly Grownups

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Akashi finds his education may have a few gaps, and he and Kuroko should probably communicate better.

Akashi had a feeling that Kuroko did not entirely think out adopting a child.

He did not regret it, and Akashi didn't either, not really. They still rented the same apartment they had since college, and when they’d returned after their most recent victory, Kuroko had cheerfully showed Daiki every corner of the limited space.

Akashi had grown up in luxury, so the apartment seemed ordinary to him. However, Daiki’s eyes had glowed with excitement, and he’d turned on the taps of running water with reverence and flipped on the light switches in awe. He’d stared, practically open-mouthed, at the television set, magazines, and board games. Akashi supposed recreation was not a notion familiar to him either.

As Kuroko had curled Daiki into his lap and read aloud from a book of fairytales, Daiki pointing at the pictures, Akashi’s heart had melted. Not that he would admit it, but his eyes had softened at the sight, and he’d never felt so at peace than when he’d made tea for him and Kuroko and hot chocolate for their son.

Their son.

He was a _father_.

Now that was a word that brought all sorts of loaded thoughts to his mind, but he pushed those away. He would have plenty of time to face his paternal issues when he returned to the little apartment that housed his lover and child.

For now he took a plane to another developing country.

After all, Kuroko did not completely think this through, and though they now had a child, their responsibilities did not suddenly end. They would have to think of a long term solution for later, but as for this particular mission, Akashi went alone.

…

“You are incorrect.”

Akashi glanced up at the small voice, and his features twisted into a sneer on default. While he normally tried to treat the natives of any land with respect and sensitivity, he was already in a rather foul mood. Then again, he doubted anyone could blame him when he currently distributed manure across a plot of farmland.

His critic stared up at him from three and a half feet of height, and his green eyes narrowed with lack of patience.

“Is that so?” Akashi responded neutrally, but he continued to spread the animal feces across the earth.

The little boy tensed as Akashi continued his actions, and he almost seemed to panic. Concerned, Akashi stopped his movements, and the child relaxed, if only marginally.

“What do you mean?” Akashi asked again.

When the boy spoke, he used his native language, but his word choice seemed oddly formal and stilted for a child. Akashi had to concentrate hard to pick up his meaning as he was used to a more slang-ridden dialect.

“You’re wasting our resources. We only have a few animals but a lot of farmland. You have to make the manure last for all the fields.”

Akashi glanced at the pile of distasteful fertilizer and then scanned the seemingly endless land around him. While he could see the boy’s point, he did not know how to rectify the matter.

Normally, when he and Kuroko did work like this, they had mentors to show them the proper way that the locals typically handled things. Sometimes they offered tips if experiences from another tribe could benefit them, but almost always, Akashi and Kuroko respected the requests of whoever they worked for. This time, however, most of the tribe suffered an illness which left Akashi as the only healthy adult capable of this sort of work. The dire situation was the whole reason he and Kuroko decided that at least one of them needed to go even with their new son at home.

“There’s a technique you can use to make the resource last longer,” the little boy continued.

Akashi raised a single eyebrow in inquiry.

The child seemed exasperated with Akashi’s lack of action, so he pulled out a material with the consistency of cheesecloth from his shirt. He must have expected Akashi to be unprepared then.

He spread the cloth on the ground and then used the shovel to dump a generous amount of manure in the cloth. Taking the four corners, he tied a knot to keep the feces from escaping. When he completed this task, he returned his gaze to Akashi. “Do you have any water?”

Akashi pulled out a canteen that was actually meant for drinking, but he was willing to make the sacrifice. The child sprinkled the minimum amount of water on the bag, and then he shocked Akashi enough to make his eyes widen.

The boy squeezed the bottom of the bag, and a dark brown liquid dribbled onto the ground.

“You are technically supposed to use a bucket of water to minimize the waste,” the boy admitted. “Some people like you called this the ‘teabag technique.’ You still fertilize the land, but the manure lasts longer.”

The boy handed the bag over, and Akashi took it by the knot. He stared at the child with new eyes now.

“Where did you learn this?” he asked. The boy could not be any older than Daiki, and while this country did not live in fear of wars, they still possessed only limited resources.

“Some will wait and hope for a miracle, but that’s not going to happen. You have to learn and do all that you can to survive,” the boy said, his green eyes shining.

…

The next day, Akashi was to plow rows in the field for planting seeds. The boy showed up again to inform him that zigzagging rows optimized their limited resources by allowing for more crops in less space. Akashi took his advice without a second thought.

…

On his last day in the village Akashi bid farewell to each member individually. He and Kuroko took up this custom early in their careers as they wanted to emphasize that everyone was important and valuable, no matter what the circumstances.

However, when he came to a single mother with a familiar boy at her side, he smiled.

“Your son is very smart,” he told the woman. “I am impressed.” He wondered if they could tell just how much that small statement meant from him.

Oddly enough, her expression crumpled in sadness. “He is a bright boy, and he deserves far more than this. He could do so much more if he had the opportunities.”

Akashi’s eyes met bright green ones.

…

Perhaps needless to say, Akashi enjoyed the plane ride back with a companion.

…

Kuroko’s lips parted in surprise when they finally reached the apartment, but almost immediately, his expression softened, and he welcomed Shintarou inside as if he had lived with them his entire short life.

However, when Kuroko stepped back to let them both in the apartment, Akashi’s eyes landed on one too many figures. He noted Kuroko and Shintarou, and Daiki played on the floor with some blocks, but another child played with him. Slightly taller than Daiki, violet hair.

Kuroko noticed his gaze, and he coughed lightly. “Ah, Sei, this is Atsushi.”

“Hello.”

Atsushi lifted his head and blinked slowly. After a moment, he nodded acknowledgment and then went back to his blocks. Shintarou watched with a hungry gleam in his eyes.

“Shintarou, you can play with the others,” Akashi invited in their common language. To Akashi’s surprise he’d learned that Shintarou studied with the missionaries that had passed through his country before, and unlike his peers, he’d practiced nearly every day.

At least he would be able to communicate with Daiki as Kuroko had been teaching their first son since his first week in the apartment.

The green-haired boy hesitated, but his feet took small steps forward almost without his intention. “I suppose, since you said so,” he mumbled, but he barely managed the words before he joined the others on the floor. Daiki cheerfully showed the newcomer the truck he’d just built, and Shintarou grumpily told him that a vehicle needed four wheels to go faster.

Once the three children were occupied, Akashi and Kuroko moved to the kitchen to talk. Out of sight and earshot, Akashi raised a single eyebrow.

Kuroko had the decency to blush the tiniest bit. “Satsuki called and asked if I could watch him for the day. He lost his parents and all four of his sisters in a fire, and she needed a place to hold him while she sorted out the paperwork and legal issues.”

Momoi Satsuki was a social worker, and as they had left their dog with her for years at a time, they made a point to help her whenever she asked. And whenever they were in the country.

“But he and Daiki played so well, and I knew Daiki missed his friends. Then Satsuki said he would go into foster care, so I told her to arrange an adoption for us instead. I didn’t know you’d be bringing home a child as well,” Kuroko said.

Akashi could not blame him there. He had thought of texting Kuroko at some point, but he’d convinced himself that explaining in person would be easier. He regretted that now.

“Maybe this is for the best though,” Kuroko mused.

“We gained three children in less than a month,” Akashi retorted.

Kuroko shrugged as if to acknowledge that he had a point, but he did not seem particularly concerned with said point.

Akashi sighed. “We may need to rent a bigger apartment.”


	3. Angels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning for child trafficking and implied child abuse.

Akashi noticed the signs. Carefully controlled breathing, hands clenched into fists to prevent trembling, eyes too shiny for the fluorescent lighting. He had seen them twice before, so when the meeting finished and everyone left the conference room, Akashi was not surprised that Kuroko walked straight to a bathroom.

He let his lover disappear into the haven, and then he lingered for a moment to make sure no one else from the meeting needed the toilet. When no one made a move, he slipped into the bathroom as well.

Kuroko’s hands clutched the sink as if only the solid porcelain held him together, and his red-rimmed eyes stared wildly at him through the mirror. The trembles started in his hands and worked through his whole body.

Akashi wrapped his arms around him from behind, and Kuroko relaxed, only slightly, in his hold.

“So many children, Sei,” Kuroko murmured. “Most of them are no older than our boys.”

“I know.”

“They could have been safe. If we’d convinced other countries to open their borders sooner, they would have been safe.”

Akashi held him tighter.

“You know where they will end up,” Kuroko finished, a choked sob mangling the last word.

Akashi wanted to deny every pessimistic statement, but Kuroko was far too educated and experienced to believe in blind hope. It would be an insult to tell him everything would be okay now.

However, that did not mean Akashi planned to give up, and despite this break in his emotions, he knew Kuroko did not plan to let the perpetrators get away so easily either.

Sometimes Kuroko needed this. The nature of his job required him to remain objective and clear-headed even during the worst of circumstances. However, he still possessed compassion and empathy for the people he covered in his stories, and Akashi sometimes suspected that Kuroko had a split inside him not unlike his own. The cool persona and the inner child that craved peace.

When the situation grew particularly bad, like now, Kuroko needed a moment to release some of those emotions, and Akashi gave him the safety he required for that.

However, after a moment, the trembling stilled. Kuroko rubbed his eyes and then splashed cool water on his face. When he wiped the excess moisture away and stared into the mirror, a perfectly controlled expression stared back.

“We need to inspect the docks and all private airports. We can use one of our contacts to hack into the proper satellites,” Kuroko thought out loud.

“Yes?” Akashi questioned.

Kuroko nodded. “We need to act quickly if we’re going to get these children back.”

…

It took three weeks and two days, but Kuroko accounted every single lost child. Many of the kidnapped children were those they had visited during their trips to refugee camps, and many more had lived in camps they had yet to see. With the help of countless organizations and resources, they retrieved every one from the ring of smugglers.

Some entered institutions, and while that was not ideal, they were at least safe until better solutions were found. Others already joined homes in adoption, and those little success stories warmed Kuroko’s heart.

Especially when other stories threatened to send him into another spiral of despair.

“Tetsuya,” Akashi murmured.

Kuroko stared at the report, but he could no longer read the words. He already understood the meaning.

“Tetsuya, please speak to me.”

“We have to take him.”

“Excuse me?”

The glaze left Kuroko’s eyes, and he finally rose enough from his stupor to truly join Akashi in conversation. “We’ll adopt him. With the other three. Growing up in a loving home with other boys his age will help,” he clarified.

“What?” Akashi nearly gasped. Though perhaps he should have predicted this, Kuroko’s wild claim still rocked him at his core. “We already have three children, and we can barely care for them. They’re with Satsuki right now because we’re here. This boy has suffered far too much, and we don't know how to give him the care he needs.”

“And you think an institution will?” Kuroko challenged.

“Perhaps better than us. He will need therapy after his ordeal. He will have special needs that we do not have the time to provide,” Akashi reminded him. After all, they had spent the past three weeks away from home with only quick visits to their three adopted children on weekends. That was not the norm, but they never knew when such an occasion would arise again.

Kuroko pursed his lips together, but his eyes sparked with determination. “Perhaps it is a good time to take a vacation then. We could care for them all. Learn what each one needs, this boy in particular.”

“I want to help him as much as you do, but is this truly the best way?”

Kuroko’s eyes only grew sharper. “The other children escaped fairly unscathed, but we failed this one. I don’t understand why you are so determined to send him to be lost in a flood of other children that will not share his needs.”

“I don’t understand how you assume I am the best person to parent any of these children, let alone one with special needs,” Akashi hissed.

The sudden outburst left them both in silence, and Kuroko’s fighting stance softened. He placed his hand on Akashi’s arm, and though the other tried to stand firm, he eventually melted at his lover’s touch.

“I want to give these kids a good life,” he murmured. “But I know nothing about being a good father. I can’t bear to think that I would leave them with the scars that my father left me.”

Kuroko took Akashi’s face and forced him to meet his eyes. “The fact that you worry over these things is why I know you’ll make a good father to these boys,” he assured him. Kuroko sealed the thought with a kiss.

Akashi took him in his arms and nodded.

…

When Ryouta joined their ever growing family, he shied away from sudden movements and loud noises. Kuroko and Akashi picked him up from where a safe house had held him, and after the proper paperwork, they took an airplane and a car drive to their home.

Ryouta barely uttered a word even when Akashi and Kuroko spoke to him in his native language.

He was a pretty boy, and Kuroko knew that had been his condemnation. Fair skin, blond hair. However, his amber eyes held a hollowness that Kuroko found too familiar to see in the gaze of one so young. He wore soft, loose clothing, and his suitcase held changes of garments just like them. His only possessions in the world.

“You’ll like Daiki, Atsushi, and Shintarou,” Kuroko said. Though Ryouta did not respond, he tried to speak softly to him on a fairly regular basis. However, he tried to respect his need for silence, too. “They’re around your age.”

The notion of other children did not seem to comfort Ryouta at all.

Even when their plane landed and Akashi drove them to their apartment, Ryouta stared out the window. Kuroko subtly watched him the entire time. Very rarely, Ryouta’s eyes widened at a skyscraper or a kite in the air or even the bright colors of the many different people, and Kuroko wondered if there was hope after all.

…

Momoi Satsuki agreed to stay at Akashi and Kuroko’s apartment while they were away, so she met them at the door. She gushed over how adorable the kids were and how they were angels the entire time (even if Daiki did sneak cookies when she wasn’t looking). She smiled warmly at Ryouta, but Akashi and Kuroko told her enough that she did not push any interaction.

She also wanted to give them space to invite the boy into their family, so she bid them a temporary goodbye with the promise that they needed to catch up soon. Akashi and Kuroko agreed to have a cup of coffee together sometime soon.

“Are you ready?” Kuroko asked Ryouta. The boy stared at him but gave no clear answer otherwise. “If you feel overwhelmed, just let me know.” This time, Ryouta did nod.

Akashi opened the door, and he was suddenly attacked.

Two tiny figures immediately latched onto him, and though Shintarou hung back at first, he eventually joined the group hug soon. Kuroko watched with a smile, and the warm feeling inside him only increased when he noticed Ryouta observing curiously.

They managed to entered the house and shut the door behind them without incident though Akashi looked a bit worn.

“Let me brew coffee. Then we will speak,” Akashi told them. Shintarou and Atsushi agreed readily enough, but Daiki tensed.

Once he pulled away and noticed the small boy at Kuroko’s side, his eyes widened. His lips parted in pure shock, and Kuroko never saw such unadulterated joy on the boy’s face, not even when he discovered the joys of cartoons.

“It’s you!” he cried, and Ryouta startled, eyes wide and frightened.

Kuroko started to put himself between the two of them, but then Ryouta lit up with recognition as well. He lost the frigid defense he wore around all others, and he leapt past Kuroko and into Daiki’s arms. The two boys embraced with such pure affection and relief that Kuroko oddly felt a lump rise in his throat.

They only pulled back just enough for them to chatter in their native language, one they shared. Thrilled words rocketed between them, and though Akashi and Kuroko both spoke the language, they had a hard time keeping up with the quick words.

Atsushi and Shintarou stared at Akashi for guidance, but he only shrugged and asked the two boys to help him with coffee. They happily followed him into the kitchen.

Kuroko, left with the other two, gently kneeled to their level, and Ryouta tensed at the sudden change in position. However, Daiki threw his arms around Kuroko’s neck in glee.

“You found him! You told me we might, and you did. Thank you so much,” Daiki practically sobbed in the common language.

Suddenly, Kuroko understood. He had not made the connection when he’d read Ryouta’s file - too preoccupied with the other details - but now he realized. Against perhaps all odds, Ryouta was Daiki’s friend who he had lost during the aerial bomb attack.

Finally, after all this time, they were reunited.

Not under the best circumstances, perhaps. Kuroko wondered if Ryouta would reveal to Daiki just what had happened to him. However, Ryouta’s eyes shined as he chattered away with Daiki, and the spark of hope that formed in the car burst into a flame.

They’d be fine. All four of his boys would be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm really not doing these issues justice. I realize that it's not so simple to track down child trafficking rings, and I'm really not educated enough to even know where to begin. I guess this story is a lot of wishful thinking honestly ^_^'


	4. Boy Next Door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pancakes, a trip to the park. They can live normally after all.

They rented a house.

The move was logical. Their tiny apartment from the days just out of college hardly satisfied their present situation, but Akashi still felt a sense of nostalgia as they drove away from the complex for the last time. He and Kuroko had shared many great memories in that small apartment.

But then Atsushi voiced that he was hungry, and Daiki agreed that he wanted fast food. Shintarou protested the nutritional deficiency at first, but when Ryouta hesitantly admitted that he wanted fast food as well, they all agreed that badly-made burgers and overly salty fries sounded perfect in that moment. Akashi found a drive-through immediately. No one could really deny Kise anything.

The entire exchange took place in the common language. Kuroko had been teaching them, and they all spoke at varying levels of expertise, but they communicated, and that was a big step.

A warmth settled deep in Akashi’s soul, and when he glanced at Kuroko in the passenger seat, he knew his lover felt the contentment as well.

They were a family. Patchwork and a little broken, but a family nonetheless.

Their new house resided in a suburban neighborhood with a backyard, and that felt significant. The house was no longer a base that Akashi and Kuroko occasionally used for the bed, but rather a true home with people who loved each other and children who filled the air with laughter. And the floors with toys. And the walls with crayon drawings.

They hadn’t retired by any means. Kuroko still worked freelance, and Akashi often gave foreign consultation through video chat. They took turns going on mission trips, and when the occasion called for it, they sometimes asked Momoi to babysit while they both went together.

However, to Akashi, the oddest and sweetest parts of this new life were the moments when all six of them occupied the house and learned the nature of domesticity together.

…

“Shintarou, please set the table. Atsushi? Can you make drinks for everyone?” Kuroko asked softly.

The purple-haired boy lifted his head from where he had been sleeping on the kitchen table, and Shintarou took advantage of his vacancy to place plates and forks on each table mat. Atsushi opened the refrigerator door but then paused.

“What drink?”

“Why don’t you ask everyone what they want?” Kuroko suggested as he flipped pancakes at the stove.

“Eh?” Atsushi whined. “Too much work.”

“Then you can pick what we drink today,” Kuroko allowed.

Atsushi nodded at this solution and chose the carton of milk. Though he was the same age as everyone, he was the only one of the children who could reach the cups without fetching a stool first. He chose six and filled them all with milk.

“Hey, I want to help, too!” Daiki declared, bouncing around Kuroko’s legs.

Ryouta, always at Daiki’s side, agreed, “Me, too!”

Nigou barked as if the small dog agreed as well. Kuroko hadn’t been sure how the kids would react to a pet at first, but his fears proved unfounded. All four took to him easily, and Ryouta especially liked to cuddle the warm puppy.

However, Nigou could be a bit of a nuisance in the kitchen, and Kuroko knew his food bowl was full in the laundry room.

“Take Nigou to his bowl, and then you two can put the syrup and butter on the table.”

Ryouta pouted only a moment before he urged Nigou to eat his own breakfast. When they returned, Daiki and Ryouta bickered briefly over who would get what, but after a moment, Daiki fetched the syrup from the low cupboard and Kise found the butter in the fridge. Shintarou had finished the with the table settings, so the other two boys placed their contributions on a blank space in the center.

Kuroko flipped the last pancake and added the final one to the mountainous pile. The boys tended to eat twice their weight in food, and considering their specific circumstances, Kuroko could understand.

At first Kuroko only allowed them healthy nutritious food, but once they’re stomachs grew used to consistent meals, he slowly added sweeter treats. Like pancakes.

When Akashi walked in after his morning phone calls — time differences forced him to take care of some work at odd times — he found all four boys smiling as they devoured the pancakes. Shintarou remained slightly more refined than the others, but even he could not hide his delight. Kuroko’s usual expression cracked to reveal unadulterated joy.

Akashi hugged him from behind and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Good morning, love.”

Kuroko’s eyes still danced when he returned the greeting. “I have an idea for what we can do today.”

…

Adopting four children with varying backgrounds of tragedy and cultures brought complications to their home past the normal ones of parenthood. Akashi and Kuroko spent private time with each of their sons, and they did their best to accommodate to their individual needs. Unfortunately, sometimes their home almost seemed like prolonged therapy rather than a family.

Kuroko planned to rectify that. In baby steps.

Ryouta especially still trembled at crowds, but he managed as long as he had Daiki at his side. Atsushi and Shintarou fared a little better, but they still clung to the pants legs of their fathers.

So today, after breakfast, they walked to the local park. Kuroko brought snacks and drinks, and Akashi carried a blanket with one hand and held Shintarou’s with the other. Atsushi kept a firm hold on Kuroko’s shirt while Daiki and Ryouta held hands between them.

Nigou trotted around their feet, and Ryouta clutched his leash in his little hand. He once admitted that having the dog, small or not, close to him made him feel safe, so Kuroko and Akashi always gave him the duty of keeping track of him when they ventured outside. Though they hadn’t done so much yet, hopefully this would become a regular part of their routine.

The park never held a large crowd, so the boys would have a chance to slowly acclimate themselves to society while also hopefully having a little fun.

In theory.

In actuality all four boys stared longingly and fearfully at the playground equipment, but they shied away at the few other children who skipped and shouted. Akashi and Kuroko exchanged concerned glances before they spread the blanket across the soft spring grass and invited the kids to sit.

All four eagerly took the offered snacks and juice boxes, but their wide eyes never completely left the playground. Kuroko didn’t want to push them, so he told stories in the pleasant spring air. Despite the dark tone of his usual work, he did have a few humorous tales in his inventory. Daiki howled with laughter, and Atsushi and Ryouta muffled giggles as Kuroko relayed how a college student went to the hospital with a sword wound due to an accident during a King Arthur-style play practice. The student was all right in the end, and even Shintarou looked a little amused.

Akashi found himself ruffling Atsushi’s hair and wiping crumbs from Daiki’s face. Shintarou always stayed close to his side, and Ryouta inched just close enough to him to touch his leg. He watched his lover’s face light up as he spoke, and the world felt right.

“Hey, do you guys play basketball?”

Ryouta nearly jumped into Daiki’s lap, but the rest of the boys reacted a little more calmly to the other sudden appearance of a red-haired boy with wild eyebrows. Akashi glared at him, but Kuroko regarded the new kid with a more open mind. He was the same age as the others, and he wore a sports brand shirt and shorts.

“No one here wants to play basketball today, but there’s enough of you guys that we could make a pretty good game. My brother’s waiting on the court,” the kid explained to four pairs of confused eyes.

“They’ve never played basketball before,” Kuroko said.

“That’s okay! My brother taught me. It’s super easy!” the boy declared, clearly adaptable.

Pleased with the kid’s kindness, Kuroko turned his attention to his sons. “You’re welcome to go play or stay here. Basketball can be fun, and we’ll be watching from right here.”

The four exchanged glances, but Daiki was the first to speak. “I’ll play.”

Ryouta mimicked Daiki when he stood to join the other boy, and curiosity danced in Shintarou’s eyes. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Shintarou made to go with them as well under the excuse of keeping them out of trouble.

Atsushi turned to look at Akashi. “Can I finish my snack first?”

Akashi nodded with a small smile. “Be sure to throw away the trash afterward.”

Atsushi agreed and made to join his brothers. As the four walked away with the fifth boy, Kuroko and Akashi heard him introduce himself with admirable enthusiasm.

“My name’s Taiga! What’s yours?”

…

Daiki caught on the quickest, but they all excelled at basketball. Taiga and his brother, Tatsuya, taught them the basics, and after a few street games, they slowly integrated more of the rules. Daiki whined when they finally had to leave, but the other three looked upset as well.

Kuroko and Akashi agreed to bring them back the next day.

And the day after that.

Street basketball became something of a routine. Akashi or Kuroko or the both of them took the four to the park every day, and Taiga always waited for them with a basketball spinning on his finger. Their first friend.

Perhaps they could have a normal life after all.


	5. Parenthood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Parenthood is not what Kuroko and Akashi expected, but they find warmth in love and family.

“You should be sleeping.”

Kuroko dropped the coffee mug he had been washing, but a quick hand caught the cup before it hit the ground. Akashi placed the mug back into the sink and then wrapped his arms around Kuroko’s waist from behind. He rested his chin on his shoulder.

“Sei is one to talk,” Kuroko responded drily, but he dropped the washrag in the sink with the dishes.

“I would be sleeping, but one half of the bed is noticeably empty,” Akashi replied. His breath bloomed hot against Kuroko’s ear. “It’s late, Tetsuya.”

“I wanted to get some chores done while the kids were sleeping,” Kuroko admitted.

Akashi pulled away but tugged on Kuroko’s sleeve to urge the other to face him. When his blue eyes finally lifted to his face, Akashi said, “These things can wait until morning. Not all the responsibility has to fall to you.”

“I know, but you’ve been working more. You’re tired, too,” Kuroko protested.

Akashi shook his head. He retrieved a clean towel from the cabinet and wiped the suds from Kuroko’s hands. Once he finished, he tugged on his sleeve again, and Kuroko followed him to the living room where they both sat on the couch, pressed together from shoulders to thighs. They relaxed into each other as easily as breathing.

“We’re a partnership. There’s no need for you to be the first one up in the morning and the last one to go to bed,” Akashi said.

Kuroko did not flinch, but Akashi could read the guilt in his slight shift.

“I know you want to give these kids the best life possible, but you’re doing them no favors if you work yourself to nothing,” Akashi added.

“I understand,” Kuroko sighed. “I suppose parenthood is not quite what I imagined.”

Akashi silently agreed, but he asked, “What did you imagine?”

“I’m not sure I imagined anything at all. I focused on earning my degree in journalism and then using those skills in the best way possible. I didn’t really think of having a family.”

Kuroko noticed the moment that Akashi stiffened, and he curled himself against his lover, entwining his fingers with his own.

“Of course,” Kuroko corrected. “From the moment we began dating, you became a part of that. I did not mean to offend. It’s just, you’ve been as critical to my plans as anything else for so long that I sometimes forget to separate you.”

“I understand,” Akashi assured him. “I agree. We’ve lived together since college, and we have four children, yet we’ve never actually gotten married.”

Kuroko furrowed his eyebrows as he realized the truth in his statement. His partnership with Akashi was so natural at this point that he had forgotten that they’d never technically made it official in the eyes of the law.

“Maybe someday,” he murmured, sleepiness creeping into his voice.

Akashi wrapped an arm around Kuroko’s shoulders and pulled him even closer. “Maybe someday,” he agreed.

They sat in silence as midnight passed, and only the moonlight from the window lit the living room. If Akashi listened very carefully, he could hear his four sons breathing in the two rooms they shared.

“Something happened today,” Kuroko said.

“Yes?” Akashi prompted. He idly rubbed circles into his lover’s back as he spoke.

“I was reading the four of them a book, and a father and a daughter were talking in the story. She called him ‘dad,’ and Daiki asked if that’s what they should call you and me.”

Akashi lifted his eyebrows in surprise. Up until now, the four kids had refrained from calling them anything at all, and that had been fine. They tugged on their sleeves or touched their hands, and Akashi and Kuroko gave their undivided attention.

“Ryouta got excited,” Kuroko continued. “He snuggled into my side. He’s getting more affectionate, you know. We dropped the subject then and continued the book. Then later, when he asked me a for a snack before dinner, Atsushi called me dad.”

“Hm. I suppose the term is appropriate,” Akashi responded neutrally.

“Are you okay with this?” Kuroko asked.

Akashi kissed his forehead. “Of course,” he murmured. “We’re a family now. Shintarou will follow soon enough.”

“He will likely want to call you that first,” Kuroko agreed.

Kuroko leaned his head on Akashi’s shoulder, and his eyelids grew heavy as his lover rubbed circles into his tired muscles. The stress from earlier in the day gave way to peace, and the warmth of Akashi along with the presence of the four kids in the next room brought him comfort.

“I’ll do the dishes in the morning. Come to bed with me?” Akashi whispered.

Kuroko’s eyes were already closed, but he managed a slow nod. Akashi carried most of his weight as they shuffled into their bedroom together and climbed into their bed. Akashi wrapped an arm around Kuroko, and the slightly shorter man nuzzled against his lover’s chest.

They fell asleep in the warmth of each other.


End file.
